Open durational alimony. In some states legislature replaced the term “permanent alimony” in the alimony statute with the term “open durational alimony.” Although permanent alimony was once common, in recent years courts typically awarded it only when a supported spouse ending a long-term marriage was unlikely ever to be able to become fully self-supporting at the marital standard of living. Like permanent alimony, open durational alimony has no predetermined fixed ending date; unlike permanent alimony, however, unless exceptional circumstances exist, a court can order open durational alimony only after a marriage of at least 20 years. Also, unlike permanent alimony, open durational alimony is presumed to end when the paying spouse reaches full retirement age (although this presumption can be rebutted under certain circumstances).
Limited duration alimony. This type of alimony is also sometimes called durational alimony or term alimony, because it provides for payments to be made for a specified number of months or years. Like open durational alimony, alimony of limited duration is intended to help a supported spouse become self-supporting at the marital standard of living; unlike open durational alimony, however, limited duration alimony has a predetermined ending date. Before September of 2014, courts would generally choose to award limited duration alimony rather than permanent alimony after “intermediate length” marriages, which generally meant marriages of up to about 10 to 15 years in length (depending on other factors). Since September of 2014, however, open durational alimony (which replaced permanent alimony) is generally available only after marriages of at least 20 years, and if a marriage lasted less than 20 years, limited duration alimony cannot exceed the length of the marriage, except in exceptional circumstances.
Rehabilitative alimony. Just as the title implies, this type of alimony has the purpose of rehabilitating a spouse who needs financial support to reintegrate into the workforce. Courts order rehabilitative alimony for a specific period of time to help a lower earning spouse obtain tools necessary to become self-supporting. It may cover costs of education, training, and living expenses during the reintegration period.
Reimbursement alimony. This type of alimony reimburses one spouse for financial contributions to the education or career advancement of the other. Although reimbursement alimony can be combined with either limited duration or permanent alimony, it is more common when there is little basis for either of these other alimony types, because, for example, the marriage was too brief, or the marital standard of living was relatively low while the supported spouse was attending school. The spouse who contributed financially to education or training that both spouses expected to benefit from in the future is entitled to repayment of contributions. Reimbursement alimony can include tuition and costs of living expended by a student spouse, as well as any other costs related to obtaining a degree or training.
